The following are a brief overview of the session Michael provided.
Speeding Up Your Mac The following site will allow you see the upload and download speed at which your MAC is currently running. http://www.speedtest.net/ However if you are unsure of doing this process, contact either Colin or Michael for support. Often it cxan be a simple reason why your MAC is running slowly.
Time Machine Time machine backs-up your Mac. So if you are worried about photos and information being lost, Time Machine is worth knowing about . To learn how to set up Time Machine to perform backups, how to restore items, how to use System Restore to return your entire Mac to a specific date or how to migrate backups to a new Mac, Click here.
Virus and Macs OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated. Some members in the Apple Community believe Mac Users shouldn't rely just rely on it XProtect because internet attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be by passed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated called "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defence is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbour of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbour? Some warning signs of danger .
Speeding Up Your Mac
The following site will allow you see the upload and download speed at which your MAC is currently running.
http://www.speedtest.net/ However if you are unsure of doing this process, contact either Colin or Michael for support. Often it cxan be a simple reason why your MAC is running slowly.
Time machine backs-up your Mac. So if you are worried about photos and information being lost, Time Machine is worth knowing about . To learn how to set up Time Machine to perform backups, how to restore items, how to use System Restore to return your entire Mac to a specific date or how to migrate backups to a new Mac, Click here.
Virus and Macs
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated. Some members in the Apple Community believe Mac Users shouldn't rely just rely on it XProtect because internet attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
- It can be by passed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
- It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated called "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defence is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbour of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbour?
Some warning signs of danger
.
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